Orthopaedic Surgeon in Bombay Hospital

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Dr. M L Saraf has treated a variety of patients in his life. They include the rich and the powerful and the meek and the poor as well. He has treated many numbers of cricketers and other sportspersons during his stint as an honorary medical doctor on the board of the Cricket Club of India. Hence, it would be right on our part to call him as a true all-rounder. We have borrowed a cricketing term but this description suits him to a T.

There are numerous accounts of patients owing to their good health to his efforts and treatments alone. Many people have literally been crippled in their lives before coming into contact with M L Saraf. It is due to his concerted treatments alone that they are able to walk without any physical support today.

He is a true advocate of the Jaipur Foot as well. The makers of the Jaipur Foot consult him at various levels before designing the contraption for the patient. The comfort level of the patient is more important to him than anything else. Dr. Saraf takes great pleasure in treating children. It must be said that he loves children a lot. This made him take up the subject of pediatric orthopedics at the University of Liverpool while doing his Masters. He won the Norman Roberts prize for his paper on this subject.

He could have easily remained in the UK. In fact, the people had requested him to stay back and help them. However, the thought of treating people in his home country brought Dr. M L Saraf to India. One should thank one’s stars that he made this wise decision. India needs him more than any country today.

The Government of India has also recognized his capabilities. Therefore, they had bestowed on him the honor of leading the medical team that attended to the US President Bill Clinton when he came to Mumbai. That is a great honor for him because the US President always travels with his own team of doctors. The very fact that ML Saraf was the head of the team is proof of his capabilities as an orthopedic surgeon.

Other than Bill Clinton, he has treated a host of celebrities like former Prime Ministers, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr. Manmohan Singh. He has also treated the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shankarrao Chavan. Dilip Kumar, the noted Bollywood actor has been a constant patient of M L Saraf.

Dr. Hamid Karzai has also been one of his renowned patients. When people like the Afghani Premier come to India for treatment, they do so because we have some of the best facilities in the world. Under such circumstances, the Government of India chooses Dr. M L Saraf to operate on him. This shows how much trust the Government has on his capabilities. He cannot afford to let this trust down. In fact, he has not seen failure in his life right from the days of being a simple student until date.

Let us begin on a very light note. Someone asked M L Saraf to write down the numbers from 1 to 10. He could not go beyond the number 1. This is because he did not know what it were to be number 2. Jokes apart, Dr. M L Saraf had an extremely brilliant academic career where he stood first in every competitive examination he participated in his life.

This was fine as long as he was in India. He stood first in his matriculation and higher secondary examinations. He attained the pinnacle position in his graduate examinations for MBBS. His exploits did not end here. He went to Liverpool University to study advanced orthopedics. He stood first there as well. He was the first Indian to receive the Normal Roberts Prize and gold medal for his paper on pediatric orthopedics. In short, he has never come second anywhere in life.

Normally, you expect such persons to become conceited because of their strong academic achievements. Dr. M L Saraf was of a different breed altogether. He was humble to the core and began serving people in his alma mater, KEM Hospital. He had seen the plight of the poor when he was an intern at the same hospital. This moved him a lot and made him decide to serve the poor by taking his medical services to their doorstep.

He made it a point to visit the villages on the outskirts of Mumbai and treat the children for free. He also arranged for the calipers for children afflicted with polio. It is very difficult to find such a person like M L Saraf. A world famous surgeon spending time in the villages and treating people free of cost was something new. This made many of his rich friends and patients to help him in his philanthropic endeavor by donating money for his trips, medicines, and calipers, etc. Thus, they played a great role in the uplifting of medical facilities for the poor.

As explained earlier, he loved to teach orthopedics to students. In fact, he is considered as one of the leading orthopedic surgeons in India. This explains why the Government of India chose him to be the head of the medical team attending to the US President Bill Clinton when he visited Mumbai. This is a great honor to have. In addition, he has also operated on Dr. Hamid Karzai, the Premier of Afghanistan. Nearer home, he has operated on the former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh as well. He has the distinction of being the adviser to Dr. Ranawat while he operated on the former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

These are fantastic credentials by any standards. In addition, he has treated a lot of high profile celebrities like Shankarrao Chavan, Dilip Kumar, etc. However, treating the poor children of the villages brought him greater joy than treating these celebrities. This is the greatness of the orthopedic surgeon par excellence, Dr. M L Saraf.

What are the qualities you expect in a doctor? People often equate doctors to the Divine Incarnate. Hence, they should possess some qualities of GOD. Some of the important qualities are compassion, dedication to serve, patience, and above all, a never-say-die attitude. This is because the doctor should never lose hope on the operation table. The patient pins all his hopes on the doctor. If the doctor starts losing hope, imagine what will go through the patient’s mind. He will already be a dead duck. One cannot say the same about all doctors in the world but Dr. M L Saraf has all these qualities in plenty.

Voicing compassion is one aspect whereas acting on your convictions is something different. M L Saraf certainly walks the talk. When he says that he has an ambition to take care of the poor, he means that in every sense of the word. You could see the compassion in his eyes as an intern at the KEM Hospital in Mumbai. That period made him convince that he has a lot to offer for the welfare of the poor. He could not bear to see the children struggling with their ailments. That cemented his decision to pursue pediatric orthopedics at the Liverpool University. True to his reputation, he topped the University with the Norman Roberts Award to boot.

He had the option of staying back in the UK. He was not going to have any of it. Dr. M L Saraf returned to his alma mater, KEM Hospital so that he can be in touch with the poor again, This shows that he has the compassion and dedication to serve the poor. Thus, you find him ticking two boxes as far as the qualities of a doctor are concerned.

M L Saraf saw to it that he made a weekly visit to the villages and cater to patients who did not have the means to travel to the city. These visits also allowed him to cater to patients from other nearby villages as well. He sensed that the villagers did not maintain good hygienic habits. Hence, he made it a point to stress on maintaining good hygiene to ward of diseases like polio. He had a burning ambition to eradicate polio from India. It will not be long before his dreams come true.

In addition to the medical checkups of the villagers, he has donated a lot of calipers and other support equipment to the children. His philanthropic instincts cone to the fore at this point. He has a lot of well-to-do patients as well. He persuaded them to contribute their mite for the welfare of the poor. Dealing with children requires him to exercise lots of patience. He has this quality as well in plenty.

The best quality of Dr. M L Saraf is that he never gives up on any patient. This makes him perfect as a doctor. He has all the qualities one expects a doctor to have. He is a great doctor. In addition, he is a great human as well.

Once a man has achieved great heights in profession, he is most likely to lose his roots. Even the most common of man starts detaching himself from his once acquaintances and takes to the high pedestal of ivory towers. But, Dr M.L Saraf has proved to be very different from this stereotype. Felicitated with the greatest of honors in the field of medicine and studies, he still chooses to live among and serve the common men.

A brief biography
Born on 27th August 1947, Dr. Saraf was determined to become a doctor from a very young age. No wonder, he graduated with the first rank in F. Y. Sc from Monstuart Elphinstone College in 1964. Next feather in his cap came with the Best Science Student Award from the same college the very next year (1965).

This was just the beginning of his lifelong accomplishments. After completing MBBS from the University of Bombay, M.L Saraf went to Liverpool to conduct his further research studies. There his thesis was declared the best, and he became the first Indian in 60 years to receive the Norman Roberts Award for excellence.

There was no dearth of opportunities for him in clinics abroad. However, Saraf returned to India with his degree and joined the KEM hospital. At present, he is the most sought after orthopaedic surgeon in India.

Have a look at his credentials:

1.He did prove to be the best in his profession
Dr M.L Saraf reached the pinnacle of his career when asked to head a medical team for attending to Bill Clinton (the former president of USA) while he was on his India visit. He was also instrumental in treating Dr. Manmohan Singh (former Indian PM) and assisted in the surgery of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (also, a former PM of India). It was his exceptional expertise in orthopaedic that contributed to such dignified attainments.

On a special request from the Ministry of External Affairs, Dr. Saraf had also treated Hamid Karzai (former PM of Afghanistan).

2. For Indian Army and Navy, he was the chief medical advisory
M.L Saraf was the chief appointed doctor at the Ashwini Naval Hospital and took care of injured army officials. Very few people choose to work under such challenging conditions in army camps. However, this man fulfilled all duties of being an upright virtuous doctor and human being.

3. A doctor to the poor and needy
Dr. Murarilal Nagarmal Saraf has never denied lending out his helping hand to those who knocked at his doorstep. This includes Ministers and delegates to those living below the poverty level.

Saraf was a member of the Narayana Sewa Sansthan and has been actively involved in setting up medical camps for polio patients. He specializes in the treatment of polio and scoliosis.

Dr. Saraf has offered medical service to more than 1,000 orthopaedic patients free of cost.

Felicitations received for his unparalleled service
Dr. Saraf was chosen as the appropriate recipient of the “Rajasthan Ratna Award” and Mama Hazrat award for excellence in the field of orthopaedic studies and surgery. At present, he is a post-graduate professor and heads the Department of Orthopaedics at Bombay Hospital and Medical Research Centre.

Needless to say, Dr M.L Saraf is a perfect blend of compassion and professionalism!

Doctors are known to be the saviors of life and very few can justify these words. M.L Saraf is that doctor who stands by each of these words. His achievements and hard work have made him a most reputed orthopedic in the nation, being a blessing to the whole medical community. He is a true and versatile doctor who established his career with a sole purpose of serving the needy. He is one of those who believes that humanity is the key to attaining healthy life.

Dr. M.L Saraf is such a doctor who never differentiates between rich and poor; thus, believing the fact that all should be blessed with a healthy and pain-free life. His achievements are never ending. Thus, he is the actual example for all the young doctors who wish to achieve something in life.

Brilliance in academics and Qualifications M.L Saraf always had a different career since his schooling and college days. He was an ace student in all his classes and used to attain first position every time. With his hard work and dedication, he now possesses an honorable degree and achievements in the field of Orthopedics.

He pursued his masters in the subject from the University of Liverpool and attained great position with his excellence. His merit enhanced when he was the addressee of Norman Roberts Prize for presenting an excellent thesis in University.

He is one of the first Indian in 60 Years to achieve this reputed award. However, he never let his duties towards his country vanish. Hence, he returned to his beloved country and served people here.

Services Beyond Excellence On returning India, he joined KEM hospital and commenced practicing as an in-house surgeon. He understands the issues of the poor and the fact that thousands cannot afford it in the village. He then came to their rescue with medical camps to cure issues of polio and other diseases in the villages of Mumbai. Due to his excellence in the field and brilliant service, his rich patients even donated for the camps. It is only because of Dr. M.L Saraf, that the needy attain treatment to cure all their health issues.

Due to his immense hard work, he was hired at Ashwini at Naval Hospital. He undertook various surgeries on senior officers in Armed Forces. Earlier dealing with the patients was a failure, but Dr. Saraf has done a tremendous job in offering treatment successfully.

This doctor has also received an invitation to lead medical squad to look after the president of US Bill Clinton back then. He frequently receives invitations from the Medical Council of India and Universities to conduct inspections.

He has served people like- Manmohan Singh (Former Prime Minister of India) Shankarrao Chavan Dilip Kumar Hamid Karzai (Afghan Premier) Bill Clinton (Former President of US) Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Former Prime Minister of India) M.L Saraf not only proves his excellence in his field of Orthopedics but also makes his nation proud. His achievements are unattainable if one does not work selflessly. His services and years of hard work is an inspirational story for many doctors and people who wish to testify an example of humanity.

Every orthopedic surgeon in India would have heard the name of Dr. M L Saraf. The role model of every orthopedic surgeon, Dr. M L Saraf was born on 27 August 1947. He is a man of renowned accomplishments. His accomplishments could run into several pages. Of course, we need not go into all that. We can simply state that here is a person who does not know what it is to come second. He has secured the first rank in which ever examination he has appeared in his career.

When we say career, we refer to period from his school time until date. He has always stood first. He has lost the count of the number of gold medals he must have won during the course of his career. Starting from his first year in college at the Elphinstone College in Mumbai to the time he obtained his MBBS degree from the Seth G S Medical College, he has been the recipient of the gold medal for the best performance in academics. He then went on to major in orthopedics from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Mumbai. The highlight of his career has been receiving the Norman Roberts Prize for the best thesis at Mch Orth. He was the first Indian to achieve this honor from the University of Liverpool.

These are awards for academic excellence. Dr. M L Saraf considers that these are part of one academic career. He treasures the personal recognition that the Government of India has bestowed on him. He was the prime doctor selected by the India Government to treat the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai when he visited India for undergoing spine surgery. Now, Dr. Saraf is a master at this particular surgery. He does not have any equals in this particular surgery. To treat a foreign Head of State is a great achievement. If the Head of State happens to be the most powerful person in the world, the achievement becomes greater. Dr. M L Saraf was the head of the team attending to the President of the United States Bill Clinton when he visited India.

Dr. Saraf cherishes these special awards. He considers them as his most notable achievements. In addition, he is an authority on the subject of knee replacement. In fact, every doctor in India consults him on knee replacement surgery before performing the same. He was on the advising team to the medical personnel attending to the former Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.

He is an excellent speaker as well. He can speak with great authority on this subject. He has delivered many a keynote address, the most famous among them being at the BIO MAT 2000 Tata Memorial Cancer Research Center. He has also been a guest speaker at the Rajasthan Medical Congress on Joint Replacement. He loves teaches and likes to impart his knowledge to the young budding doctors in India. He has also been the faculty speaker at the Corporate Doctors Training Program in 2010 and 2011.

Hip replacement has been one of the most common surgeries in the orthopedics world. After the surgery, you will have to be moved into the recovery room and would need to stay there for a few hours until you would wake up. It will take about 3 to 4 days for you to stay in the hospital although that would depend on how fast your progress will be. In terms of pain, you will have some medication which will make you feel comfortable. It is advisable to always breathe deeply to avoid lung congestion after the surgery according to Dr. M. L. Saraf.

The good thing about this surgery is that there are very low complications and some very serious infections could occur in less than 2% of the patients. Bacterial infiltration would enter into the blood stream which also could happen during dental procedures, skin infections or UTI. It is always a must to take antibiotic before you go into any kind of surgery. For hip replacement, blood clots in the leg veins are common. It could be life threatening if not properly taken care of your surgeon will be able to tell any symptoms or if you find one, don’t hesitate to call him.

After a while, you would need to do some light exercise like contracting and releasing your muscles in the legs and buttock. You need to restrict hip movement in the beginning as well. Your surgeon or the physical therapist would be able to give you proper advice regarding movements and therapy. You will be working with your PT after the day of your surgery.

After the surgery, it is a must that you have already a plan on the arrangement. Someone could help you drive home on a very comfortable car seat. You would need to have a help such as a friend who could do some cleaning, shopping and other household chores. This could go on for a month as you will not be able to mobilize properly. Stick to food which are easy to prepare like frozen, canned and do setup your phones, laptops and other gadgets beside you so it would be easy to get hold of it. When you are at home, a PT may come for sessions at least 2 to 3 times a week. This is one of the most common aftercare options.

Dr. M. L. Saraf is the head of the Orthopedic Department in the Bombay Hospital and Medical Research Centre. If you are looking for a good one who could help you with hip reconstruction surgery then he would be the best person to go. Do check out his profile now and see for yourself his academic reports and impressive practice.